Wall-mounted lighting fixtures have been used for many years in environments where it is desirable to have good vertical lighting and brightness control. Such environments include condominiums, hotels, motels, commercial buildings, hospitals, nursing homes, stairwells, vanity areas and various other environments. These prior art lighting fixtures, however, have several disadvantages.
One disadvantage is the partial diffusion that occurs through the translucent refractor of the lighting unit. The refractor surface does not diffuse the light rays from the light source sufficiently enough to produce the optimal illumination and comfort. Moreover, these lighting units have the disadvantage that one is able to see the outline of the light source or lamp behind the refractor. This detracts from the overall aesthetic value and appeal of the unit. It would be desirable, therefore, to have a wall-mounted lighting fixture with a better refractor which provided for more diffusion of the light from the light source and wherein the light source itself was less visible to eye.
Another disadvantage arises when backlighting is provided using a wall-mounted lighting fixture. Typically, the backlighting is provided by cutting a large rectangular strip opening in the top surface of the lighting unit to allow light to be projected upwardly and outwardly. This slit opening is often covered with a refractor to provide for diffusion of the light rays from the light source as well as to keep the light source fully enclosed. The long rectangular slit, however, reduces the structural integrity of the lighting unit and complicates its manufacture and assembly. It would be desirable, therefore, to find a way to provide backlighting which does not decrease the structural integrity of the wall-mounted lighting unit and which simplifies its construction.
A third disadvantage with present wall-mounted lighting fixtures is their inability to adapt and conform to irregularities in the surface of the wall upon which they are mounted. These lighting fixtures are often two to four feet in length and thus span a good portion of the wall upon which they are mounted. Often there are irregularities in the surface of the wall over this distance. When one tries to mount these lighting fixtures on the wall, minor bumps and depressions in the wall's surface which normally would go unnoticed suddenly cause a problem due to the length of the lighting fixture. For example, if a bump occurs in the wall at the center of the lighting fixture where it is attached, the two ends of the lighting fixture are free to pivot about the bump and strike the wall. This is an unstable and undesirable situation, especially from an aesthetic viewpoint. It would desirable, therefore, to devise a lighting unit which was easily attachable to the wall and which did not have this problem.